What Every Guy Can Learn from Kim Kardashian West's Skincare Routine

One writer boldly ventured into the world of Kardashian-approved skincare products. Here's what he learned.

Kim Kardashian West, a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, has objectively perfect skin. Remember last year, when she showed up to the Balenciaga show without any makeup and looked fantastic? If you don't, oh my God, it is stunning, here is a link. (She is wearing only lip balm.)

There is a lot of nuance involved in looking like the freshest version of yourself. Kim does it every day and subsequently cashes a check for doing it. But the most wonderful part of her routine, or so I’ve discovered from hours of grueling online research, is that it’s not technique- or product-dense. In fact, it’s almost psychotic how simple and effective it is. If you’re a man who wants better-looking skin, it’s nice to meet you and thank you for reading. Everything you need to know about skincare can be summed up nicely by the most famous woman on the planet. Please follow along:

Lesson 1: Less (product) is more.
On a routine intensity scale that spans from zero to Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim's daily skincare barely moves the needle. All she has are excellent products that work, plus a flawless mug to show for it. Now I do, too, and thank you for noticing.

In 2015, she gave an interview to the website I used to work at detailing her regular skincare routine. I begin this short experiment by listening to the original audio from the interview, as Kim outlines, in her own words, her entire beauty routine. The calm rasp of her voice is both exciting and sedating, like skincare heroin. Even when she unveils her favorite moisturizer (Guerlain Orchidee Imperial The Rich Cream) and her favorite thing about her favorite moisturizer (its "rich creaminess"), she does so with the authority of a nuclear physicist.

It was here that she revealed to the world her penchant for double cleansing. Kim uses Neutrogena's Make-Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes, because they "take off everything but really gently." She's referring to makeup, but the double cleanse method is for everyone—the first step is to slough off the gunk your skin has accumulated throughout the day, and the second is a deeper cleanse that clarifies and nourishes your dermis. For step two, I used the By Terry Cellularose Cleansing Balm. The thicker balm texture cleanses softly but also hydrates the skin. (On days when your skin is particularly oily, like in the summer, you could safely eschew moisturizer after this step.)

Double-cleansing plus a heavy moisturizer and sunscreen comprise the gilded bones of Kim's regular skincare routine—four products, day and night, and that’s it. The emphasis on products that hydrate the skin (think: cleansing balms, heavy creams) also leads us to Lesson 2:

Lesson 2: Hydration is everything.
Let that sentence osmose into your brain. Everything step of your routine, even your cleanse, should be about hydrating your skin. You may be thinking, “Oh, but my skin is already oily, so this doesn’t apply to me.” Wrong, dummy! Kim and I are laughing at you, and sunlight is dancing off our gleaming cheekbones. Your skin is oily because it’s crying out for vitamins and amino acids, which are typically found in thicker products. You sound like you need a face oil.

For this year's Met Gala, Kim's makeup artist and I think friend Mario Dedivanovic revealed her pre-red carpet skincare routine to Vogue (.com) (.au) (likely in partnership with Kiehl’s). According to the interview, Mario used Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Oil before sending Kim on her way, which is deranged—Midnight Recovery Oil is a heavy overnight product and here it is used as a regular moisturizer. I find Mario's lawless and irreverent approach to skincare intoxicating. The only event I have going on is a Saturday night date, creating symmetrical conditions for a skincare test. Propelled by deadline, but anxious of outcome, I rub three drops of Midnight Recovery Oil into my face and head into the night.

A fortified oil like the Kiehl's does more than just work; it also imparts a kind of healthy glowy sheen to your skin. During the day, when sweat is a factor, this can be aggressive. At night, a little luminescence plays nicely. My date complimented my skin, which has never happened to me before. And unlike regular moisturizer, you can use an oil in your beard, too.

Lesson 3: Quality is also everything.
As Us Weekly dutifully reported last year, Kim's morning routine consists of four La Mer products: The Perfecting Treatment (to be perfectly honest, I don’t know what this is), the Concentrate serum, the Renewal Oil, and the Creme de la Mer moisturizer. All of them smell vaguely of marketing promises and eucalyptus oil. I decide to try out the full suite of La Mer skincare products—because it is an unbelievably luxurious regimen that embodies Kim's Bacchanalian spirit, but mostly because I am curious if they are really good or if Kim just received them in a gift bag.

The oil and moisturizer in particular feel like drugstore formulations with added scent, but the La Mer Concentrate is exceptional. It's made for post-operation skin (!) so it's hydrating and soothing, but the serum texture keeps things light. I'm going to keep the Concentrate and distribute the rest among my brokest friends in Kim's philanthropic spirit. Be choosy about the products you use—if something works, stick to it, and don’t fall victim to product polygamy or contractual endorsements. An edited range of effective products is what keeps Kim looking like this.

Lesson 4: Embrace new and unusual skincare technology.
One of the more unusual aspects of Kim's routine is her frequent use of LED therapy, or light therapy. Basically, LED devices use different colors and wavelengths of light to treat everything from acne to wrinkles, on the basis that light can penetrate the skin deeper than topical products to trigger reactions at the cellular level—reactions that build collagen, destroy bacteria, etc. It sounds dubious, but dermatologists, aestheticians, and reality television principals swear by it. Kim uses the handheld Baby Quasar on her legs, and I will direct you to this photo if you're wondering how it's going for her.

Once a boutique dermatological treatment, LED has gone mass, which is why you can buy Neutrogena Light Masks at Duane Reade for $35. Neutrogena's LED is, without a doubt, the best at-home beauty treatment I have ever done. No redness, plus some bounciness like you’ve just freebased six liters of Smartwater. Because the light goes deeper than a topical product, it’s bound to last a bit longer, too. Also, you will look like a robot while using it.

Lesson 5: Inner Beauty Is Just As Important
The most important lesson of all—that a kind and full heart radiates outward. Kim is beautiful because she has perfect skin, but also because she is a living, breathing monument to the triumphant power of honesty. As she once remarked in a statement to Entertainment Tonight, “At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are.” And when self-love is just out of reach, hundreds of dollars of skincare products don’t hurt, either.